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Saturday, 23 November 2013

If you like your fast music, particularly grind and powerviolence, then chances are you'll be more than familiar with these two protagonists. Brutal Trust just keep on going. Since their inception in 1990, they've been releasing EP's, LP's and split that have held them aloft of their peers and Bastard Noise, the power electronics band that co-existed with PV legends Man Is The Bastard are no different. They've joined forces to release a split that is different across both CD and LP mediums, in that both feature completely different songs, while a digital version collects all the songs together. They've also stepped away from the grind too, collaborating instead on a noise record. I'm reviewing the digital copy.

Tracklist:-

1. Bastard Noise - The Duel Of The Ant And The Dragonfly2. Bastard Noise - The Horizon On Lynx3. Bastard Noise - Horned Beetle Conflict4. Bastard Noise - Mantis Colony5. Bastard Noise - Preemptive Epitaph For The Living6. Bastard Noise - The Antenna Galaxies (NGC 4038-4039)7. Bastard Noise - Frack Baby Frack8. Brutal Truth - Control Room: Peace Is The Victory Mix9. Brutal Truth - Control Room: Smoke Grind And Sleep Mix10. Brutal Truth - The StroyIf you were expecting straight-forward grind or something, you’ve come to the wrong place with this. Bastard Noise open things with The Duel of The Ant And The Dragonfly, which uses some strange noises that sound like people letting the air out of balloons. That’s my scientific assessment of it anyway. Thankfully things take a more ambient turn with The Horizon on Lynx. It still has harsh-noise in it, but thanks to occasional droning elements in the background that phase in and out, it at least sounds more musical. Also, like the opener, it’s lengthy at over eight minutes. It’s actually strangely trippy. That ambience disappears again in time for Horned Beetle Conflict and in it’s place comes more glitch-like, high-pitched frequencies. It’s unsettling and somehow manages to put you on edge. I guess that’s what Bastard Noise were aiming for.

The songs on the Bastard Noise side seem to merge into one, especially as Mantis Colony picks up where Horned Beetle Conflict left off. More of that high-pitched, nails-down-a-blackboard noise, the sort that puts your teeth on edge. At this point, you will have decided whether you want to carry on and I am, because I’m pretty curious about the rest of this split and to see what Brutal Truth conjure up. After Mantis Colony, Bastard Noises’s songs begin to reduce in length. Preemptive Epitaph of The Living sees the band adding disconcertingly low and crazy high-pitched vocals, along with screams in the background for good measure. The electronics swirl around and create and threaten to leave you in a catatonic state of withdrawal. The further you get into BN’s side of this split, the more it seems to become interstellar. On The Antenna Galaxies (ngc 4038-4039), it seems like they’re trying to communicate with extraterrestrial beings, such are the frequencies and effects they use. Their contribution ends with the amusingly titled Frack Baby Frack. It could be a play on words based on the recent controversial energy drilling method that causes earthquakes, but then again it might not be. It features more unnerving vocals that remind that Bastard Noise aren’t just some soulless machine.

Next up are three tracks from Brutal Truth, which also include contribution from Winters In Osaka and Rich Hoak’s power electronics outfit Peacemaker. Control Room - Peace Is The Victory Mix is somewhat sedate compared to what Bastard Noise presented, but it’s drone does build in intensity throughout it’s eighteen minutes. Control Room is a two-parter, with Control Room - Smoke Grind and Sleep Mix following on. Again, it keep things subtle, with quiet guitar and ambience getting things going. It sounds like there’s some spoken word vocals hidden within the noise, but that could be my ears playing tricks on me. Again, it builds in intensity and the further in you get, the less it resembles anything of a truly musical nature. Ending with The Stroy, Brutal Truth finally reach their most weirded-out point. It’s brief compared to their previous offerings here, but no less strange. Like the previous two tracks, it does feature sporadic drumming and is the closest you’ll get to a grind song on this split.

I’ll be honest, this was not what i was expecting when I first put it on. I know though that there will be a fair amount of people who will dig this and it does sit neatly alongside grind in it’s thought and delivery. if you’re after something to play in the background when watching psychological horror movies, then you might have just found it.

Thursday, 21 November 2013

Full Of Hell is one of those band names that seems to slip off people's tongues pretty regularly at the moment. Their abrasive, loud brand of hardcore has been gaining fans a plaudits for a while now, as have their live shows. Well, Califonian label Not Punk Records decided to combine both those elements and put it on tape. Music From The Dial is a four-track live session, taken straight from the soundboard of a creative venue called The Dial. The Dial brings together like-minded individuals and creates a community that promotes art and expression.

Live recordings may not capture the energy of being at a show, but they still possess a level of energy that transcends normal recorded mediums. If anyone’s ever seen footage of or been to a Full of Hell house show, will know what I’m getting at there. Starting with the feedback-laden intro which over a minute and a half and nearly deafens you, Full of Hell launch into Vessel Deserted, which is a mix of bass-heavy grind and sludge-ridden hardcore. It seems like Full of Hell’s sound is stripped down somewhat, but it still sounds hellish.

There’s no pensive sludge moments on show during Coven Of The Larynx. It’s just one long blastathon with disconcerting black metal-like shrieks and hardcore grooves. FoH like to build up atmosphere with the intros to their songs and nowhere else is this more apparent, than with the slow build of Return To The Mines. Just when you think it’s going nowhere, FoH jump into live and knock the living shit out of you. You won’t get cohesive, audible vocals but you will get genuine passion and aggression, used in the right way.

Fox Womb features the craziest guitar noise at the start, that just gets louder and seems to fused with electronics. it shows another side to Full of Hell’s confrontational, in your face character. The claustrophobic sludge is back too. It makes this song my standout track, purely for it’s outright heaviness.

Wednesday, 20 November 2013

I've been featuring so much extreme metal on here recently, I've almost forgotten what hardcore sounds like. Kingpin from Glasgow, came to my attention at just the right time. Forming in October 2012 through a love of hardcore bands like Earth Crisis and Leeway, coupled with the groove of Pantera and the crossover thrash of bands like DRI and Suicidal Tendencies, they bashed out this three track demo in July. They're also due to play alongside Breed 77 in Glasgow later this month, which sounds like it'll be properly mental

Tracklist:-

1. Former Glory
2. Chocking Dust
3. Bitches Leave

Kingpin proudly maintain that no pro tool were used in the recording of this demo and that proves their straightforward approach to hardcore. Their demo has a chunky live sound to it. Everything’s really clear, from the drums to the intricacy of the solo’s. Former Glory is a mid-paced opener with the groove I was talking about in the opening paragraph.

They let the low-end of it’s leash during Choking Dust and play some straight up, mosh-ready hardcore. For such a new band both in terms of the length of time they’ve been together and the amount of rehearsals they’ve had prior to recording this demo (three if you read band camp), they sound pretty damn on the money. Mind you, they’ve come together from the ashes of past bands so they know what they’re doing.

There’s a big undercurrent of thrash during Bitches Leave, but also the menace of hip-hop, which has been prominent over the years in the music of bands like Biohazard. Kingpin make a great case for modern, young hardcore bands throughout this three track demo and though some people just think hardcore is all about obtuse beatdowns and crowd killing, Kingpin are here to prove otherwise. A more than solid start and there’ll definitely be more from these guys.

Monday, 18 November 2013

I knew it wouldn't take me long to write about another black metal record. This one comes from Californian black metallers Vesterian. Anthems For The Coming War Age was released via UK label Glorious North Productions in collaboration with the band themselves and is their debut full length, after releasing a number of demo's since their inception in 1997. It features nine hateful, satanic black metal hymns.

Opening with the disconcerting intro of Gathering, Vesterian inflict their god-banishing noise upon the listener with Under The Red Moon. Full of cold icy blastbeats, anthemic guitar and rasping growls, Vesterian have all the hallmarks of a band to be feared and revered in equal measure. Ensuing the more ambient leanings of some of their US peers, they make their point with blistering Immortal like precision and a brilliantly dramatic solo towards the end. Their momentum carries on through to Morax Gates Pt.2 with the use of more screaming lead work, sweep picking and crazed drumming. The cymbals get more of a workout adding a metallic edge to their music and they start to sound more expansive, letting their instrumentation come to the fore. The vocals seem to sit more central in the mix but buried amongst the music instead of on top of it, meaning you don’t get that machine-gun like, dull percussive sound that other bands have been plagued by in the past. Their’s is more encompassing and full.

They splice some early thrash elements into the intro of Ancient Bloodthirst before ripping into their black metal arsenal once again. The main draw for me is still the lead work on this record, which adds another dimension to the music. It’s bombastic, but not recent Dimmu Borgir bombastic; therefore, not falling into that cheesy trap. It’s all the better for it too. The twin guitar work in the mid-section is a joy to behold as well. If you’ve got to this point in the review, you know it’s going to be a long one, but there’s just so many talking points here. It beats me how black metal bands of this ilk can keep the momentum going throughout an entire record. Just listen to the drumming during the verses of Unknown Spells Cast From Nibiru’s Watch Towers. You can’t help but be carried away by it’s pummelling double bass. When mixed in with the guitar work, it just fits perfectly.

For Battles To Come is a call to arms. Brimming with symphonic elements, it’s melody wraps around you and pulls you into to is deathly embrace. The slayer-like screaming solo towards the end sounds like a chainsaw at full blast. Vesterian takes a moment away from their sprawling majesty with the urgency of Dead Kings of Tyranny. It proves that they can condense their song-writing into shorter morsels, without compromising their icy tones and biting rasp. That symphonic twist carries on during Dark Oceans Roar During The Cosmic Upheaval. This song takes Vesterian back to their lengthy-best, weighing it at two seconds short of ten minutes. Even though it’s long, it holds your attention throughout. Much like the rest of the album, it’s not proggy or overbearing, instead relying on what they do best. At this point, Anthems For The Coming War Age is moving to it’s conclusion, but with one final blast to go, you’ll want to stay attentive.

Finishing with Blasphemous Sorcery Of A Witch King, Vesterian take things down a slightly more measured path, but only slightly! The menace and mayhem are still present as the songs winds it’s way through a final eight-minute + blast. It’s been an incredible journey and one which defies what you though of black metal. With stunning productions and musicianship, Vesterian manage to standout from the chasing pack. You can not and should not miss this record.

You can listen to four tasty morsels from Anthems For The Coming War Age via the Glorious North Productions Bandcamp page below:-

Sunday, 17 November 2013

The winter months may be dragging 2013 to it's gloomy conclusion, but there's still time for one final belch of heaviness from Manchester's Church of Fuck, who in collaboration with Manchester's newest label Dry Cough Records and purveyors of eclectic noise Skin and Bones Records, have released the first record for Manchester's own Old Skin. Their unpredictability saw them plat their release show for this record in a corridor of a unknown building in their home city.

They've been getting plenty of media attention from the likes of Rock Sound and Terrorizer magazines and have performed alongside Deafheaven and fellow CoF bands at this years Fuck Fest, where they put on a cracking set alongside their fellow CoF label-mates. Maere features five blasting, negative hardcore songs that could only come from the grim north-west.

Tracklist:-

1. Sleep/Sores
2. Hag/Ridden
3. Follish/Fires
4. Moral/Panic
5. Sleep/SoarsOpening with the terrifying sounds of a tambourine, Sleep/Sores features a sound scape of melodic guitar and sampled singing with an Eastern-flavour. It not until the two-minute mark of the song that Old Skin explode into a heaving mass of caustic hardcore. Hag/Ridden goes straight for the jugular with it’s no holds barred attacked on the senses. Fast PV laced hardcore with metallic flourishes, deafening cymbal crashes and low almost barked vox. It flows straight into Foolish/Fires, which follows in the same vein. Old Skin weave some really catchy elements into their hardcore, with some song-arrangements that may come as a surprise, even if they are brief.They make an about turn with Moral/Panic, instead going for a more sizeable and atmospheric sound. Taking cues from bands of the moment like Nails and Seven Sisters of Sleep, their doomier side comes to the fore thanks to some great guitar work. Ending with a semi-droning riff, you’re enveloped in sound that makes you tingle. The majority of Manchester is surrounded by rolling hills and desolate moors. That landscape is summed up in the majestic closing song Sleep/Soars. The song itself probably isn’t about the countryside of the grey gloom that covers the city most of the year, but it conjures up those kinds of images and it slowly builds. Maere ends quietly and after the cleansing peacefulness of Sleep/Soars, you’re ready to face it all again.In these these five songs, Old Skin have signalled their intent to experiment and to not be bound by one single genre. They’ve mixed in-you-face heaviness with grand crescendo’s. It’s hard to describe without actually listening to it, but it’s pretty damn moving.

Wednesday, 13 November 2013

The other day as I was writing my review of Dementia Senex's EP, I was saying how little Italian metal I review. Well, it just so happens that this review also features an Italian band. Guess I spoke to soon! Anyway, this review features the 2012 four track EP from Italian death metal band Humangled. These dudes are from Pisa and are probably the reason that the tower's leaning (get it!).

Humangled have been going in their current guise since 2006 and signed to Abyss Records in 2010. Both their debut album Fractal and this EP were produced, mixed and mastered by none other than Dan Swano. It features four, straight to the point death metal ragers.

Starting the obligatory horror movie sampler as an intro, it doesn’t take long for Humangled to kick things off their brand of death. Covering the usual gory subjects, it’s mainly mid-paced to being with, in terms of death metal anyway. The guitars and bass sound thick but still contain decent melody, the drums are full-sounding in the background and it’s not all about pig squeals and tinny percussion. Needles of The Blind sounds more akin to doom/death. Skinned, To Feel All features some pretty uncharacteristic riffs. There’s plenty of atmosphere thanks to some well placed melodic guitar plucking too. The textures created by the low gloomy growls and the higher pitched shrieks give the songs some variation and bite. The melodic riffs continue throughout with an off-kilter arrangement of sorts.

They sound at their heaviest during Smells Acrid, which develops their death sound as well adding further progressive touches and faster drumming. The great thing about Humangled is, they don’t hang around too long with each song, plumping instead for more concise instrumentation and song structures. Ending it all with Deny Your Creed, Humangled leave you with what’s been a straightforward yet enjoyable death metal EP. These guys have been going for a little while but are still evolving and with death this good, you won’t want for anything else. Looks like Italy’s got a lot to offer!

You can listen to Needles of The Blind via Humangled's Last FM page here http://www.last.fm/music/Humangled. Their music isn't really streaming anywhere else that I know of, unless someone can correct (feel free to do so).

Sunday, 10 November 2013

I've not featured too many bands from Italy on here. Apart from the spate of bands I've reviewed from Italian hardcore label Strikedown Records, they have been few and far between. Thank god the for Dementia Senex. This five piece residing in Cesena, have been honing their experimental brand of death metal since 2008 and have so far released two EP's; their 2009 self-released EP Sun Goes Down Behind and more recently their 2013 EP Heartworm, which was released via The Path Less Traveled Records, Drown Within Records and Don Carlos Productions.Tracklist:-1. Unscented Walls2. Kairos3. HeartwormDementia Senex open up with a brooding and atmospheric intro to Unscented Walls. They describe themselves and an experimental death metal band with post-hardcore elements, and in the opening bars you can definitely hear those post-hardcore influences. Two minutes in though, they switch to a more off-kilter, death metal sound. There’s lots of treble and melody in their guitar work, the drums are fast and similarly off-kilter while the vocals are low pitched rasping growls. They’re not shy about song lengths either, with Unscented Walls weighing in at nearly eight minutes. It brings to mind the sprawling efforts of Cult of Luna at times and the Swe-death of Dark Tranquillity.

Kairos is a different proposition, featuring a more condensed version of their songwriting. It’s plays more to their death metal leanings with it’s more frenzied pace. There’s plenty of modern twists in the song and the guitar work is especially assured. Rounding things off with the title track, Dementia Senex allow themselves one last progressive bite of the cherry. They thankfully stay on the right side of self-indulgent and manage to channel good energy into the song. Their songwriting brings to mind fellow Italian’s Fleshgod Apocalypse when at it’s most theatrical. The guitar melodies soar during the mid section and the band is able to keep Heartworm flowing in a cohesive way, without losing any direction.

Heartworm may be relatively short but it hints at a band with ideas and the musicianship to back them up. Dementia Senex may still be finding their sound but from the evidence on this EP, they are pushing the envelope for more forward-thinking, down to earth experimental metal in Italy and with their post-hardcore textures, they’ve found something that works really well. I hope to hear more of these guys.

Make sure you listen to Heartwork here:-

Heartworm by Dementia Senex
You can buy Heartworm as a digital download from The Path Less Traveled Records above. You can purchase physical copies of the EP from both:-

Monday, 4 November 2013

It's time for some more sludge and death inspired doom in the form of Indiana's Coffinworm. In 2012 The Flenser Records reissued Coffinworm's initial three track demo Great Bringer of The Night, with an extra two tracks added by the band. With the demo being originally released in 2009, which let to them joining forces with the mighty Profound Lore Records, Coffinworm quickly followed with a full-lenght in 2010. They were really productive in 2012 with this reissue closely followed by a split with Fistula, which formed part of the awesome Hell Comes Home split 7" series. Plus, they've been in more bands than you could shake a stick at over the years.

Tracklist:-

1. High on the Reek of Your Burning Remains

2. Strip Nude For Your Killer

3. Start Saving For Your Funeral

4. The Inner Caligula

5. Spitting In Infinity's AssholeDisconcerting feedback is always the best way to start a doom record and Coffinworm do it with aplomb! Of course, what comes next is even better, The riffs are full of treble, but sound really cool. The bass rumbles away in the background yet comes to fore to beef up their sound during the more earth trembling guitar parts. the drums are dominated by crashing cymbals, while the vocals are not all deep bellows, with some mid-range growls giving them a death metal edge. All that and i’m still listening to the EP’s opener High On The Reek of Your Burning Remains! There’s a surprising amount of rock swagger about Coffinworm at times, which isn’t something you associate with doom bands very often. It’s less obvious though during Strip Nude For Your Killer, which takes their gloomy down-tuned atmosphere to a deeper plain. It’s a lot more pensive than the opener.For a band steeped in darkness and despair, they do sound fairly upbeat. Start Saving For Your Funeral has an Entombed death-n-roll shtick. A faster tempo guided by the drums, which the rest of band obliges to follow.Start Saving For Your Funeral din’t feature on the original pressing of Great Bringer… and shows more urgency in Coffinworm’s writing. The Inner Caligula hits the spot in terms of sheer ferocity. The vocals favour the more direct, high-pitched scream to the deep bellow, which fits in really well with the music. The variation is good as well, which is another element missing from many slower doom records. The breadth of riffs and tempo changes make it an enthralling listen, as do sudden but brief lapses into proto or trad metal. Finishing it all up with a song which probably epitomises Coffinworm which goes by the name of Spitting In Infinity’s Asshole, they end how they started, with filthy feedback-laden slowness. The single riff at the start is mighty and when they hit full stride with the same riff still playing in the background, you’re just levelled.
Jam the whole EP here:-

Saturday, 2 November 2013

It feels like I've been out of the game for too long! The unplanned break has been useful, but recently I've found myself dying to write again and get listening to all the music I've been neglecting. I'm starting with the debut album from Coilguns. Now, Coilguns aren't a new band to This Noise Is Ours, having previously reviewed their early EP Stadia Rods along with their split record with NVRVD. This though, is a different prospect. Eleven songs and a guest appearance from Keijo Niinima of Rotten Sound/Nasum.

Immediately, Coilguns launch into multi-layered technical metal with progressive time signatures, thick guitar and a clear production that brings out the grandeur of their sound. beginning with Commuters Part 1, they signal their intentions with a quick three minute blast, prior to the second part, which altogether more progressive. The spoken word passages at the start of Commuters Part 2 brings to mind hip-hop at times, but fit perfectly against the drums and melodic, repeated riffs. As the bass enters the fray, the sound gets thicker. You get the feeling that the band are just slowly winding themselves up, waiting to burst into life. The anticipation is palpable. They keep building, the volume increases and the spoken word vocals start to crack and become angrier. When Coilguns do hit full chat, it’s powerful and bass-heavy.

Hypnograms highlights a further evolutionary step for Coilguns, with hints of jazz and even some clean singing. After a short while though they’re back and belting out more off-kilter metal. The next few songs, Hypnograms included, are briefer but heavier. Machines of Sleep is just brutal. It’s the heaviest song I’ve heard from these guys and it starts to hint at their hardcore influences. The growl’s are bowl-shaking and the guitar tone is earth shattering. They then switch tack for a few bars and the vocals turn toward the Deftones/Muse end of the spectrum. It’s impossible to even start to categorise Commuters in terms of a single sub-genre. Plug-In Citizens is fast with a punk-rock underbelly. There’s grind mixed in too, yet the riffs stay melodic. The awesomely named Submarine Warfare Anthem is chaotic and brings to mind Orchestra of Wolves era Gallows, thanks to it’s snotty attitude and tempo.

I think the variation in song-structures and ideas makes this album work really well, as you’re not sure what to expect from one song to the next and that makes things more interesting. When the drop happens during Minkowski Manhattan Distance, it brings to mind heaving, writhing bodies in the pit and has a raw energy that makes it all sound more primal. The addition of Keijo Niinima on guest vox is a masterstroke as his deep bellows fit perfectly against the backdrop of bludgeoning instrumentation. There are moments of brooding, haunting pleasure to be had during Commuters. Blunderbuss Committee may be an unlikely place for this to come from but the instrumental textures give you a break from the battering and the Moog is allowed to shine alongside some very off-kilter strings. It’s certainly a dramatic interlude.

The impacts made by 21 Almonds A Day and Flippists/Privateers are both immediate in their own way. 21 Almonds A Day is proggier and more experimental, while Flippists/Privateers is more punk in the opening bars, before descending into noisier territory. Ending it all with Earthians, Coilguns almost seem content with their output and set about closing the album with a song that’s more contemplative and slower. There have been so many twists and turns throughout Commuters that by now, you’ll either be worn out or ready for more. This album has built on their previous efforts and the experience gained from their live shows, sounding assured and focused. This will definitely leave a big impression on you and if you’ve not heard Coilguns before, this would be a great place to start. Breathtaking!

If you're not content with my thoughts above, you can stream the entire album here:-